Last week my XM radio preview expired. I feel that I got my money’s worth from the free trial, and I won’t be subscribing. Why?

The content blows

XM radio might be more properly called B-side radio; big hits are few and far between. Turns out that although commercials are annoying on FM radio, they sure do pay for better music. FM radio is brutally competitive; you’ve really got to be good just to do traffic, let alone host a show. Digital, commercial-free radio means content glut. Too many stations, too much time. That means blander content and lousier DJs because it’s too expensive to fill gobs of stations 24 hours a day with the good stuff.

Generic radio isn’t as fun as local radio

XM radio is international and time-zone free, making it generic. The hosts don’t have local affiliations or anything to say about where they are; they are everywhere and nowhere. I like listening to stations in LA making fun of Anaheim and San Francisco. I like hearing DJs echo my gripes about horrible traffic, and I like hearing what concerts and events are taking place around me. XM radio offers none of that, unless I want to pay more to get satellite versions of stations I already get for free on FM.

Th sign l dr ps cons ant y

I like listening to songs without ten second pauses of fuzz, which makes it hard to like XM radio. Because if you drive under, like, a tree branch, XM Radio is all “OMG SIGNAL INTERRUPTION CAN’T FUNCTION FML.” FM waves are pretty good at following you under overpasses, telephone wires, and even into plenty of tunnels. The delicate thread that connects your vehicle to a hunk of metal floating in space is too easily cut, making it hard to enjoy the mediocre content.

I can’t tell the difference

XM radio sounds a lot better than AM radio, but it doesn’t sound any different than a strong FM signal to me, and I have a good stereo in my car. (Thieves note: I also have OnStar.) Add in the constant signal droppage and FM wins out on signal quality.

So, as my XM test drive goes bye-bye, I’m extra happy for the USB port on my dash that lets me connect my iPod to my stereo. Now that’s commercial-free content that’s guaranteed to deliver.